Map of Lào Cai, Vietnam

Lào Cai is the administrative centre of Lao Cai, Vietnam, with a population of about 130,671. It lies at 22.4856°N, 103.9707°E. Lào Cai is about 252 km (157 mi) northwest of Hanoi, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Hekou, 7 km to the northeast.

Lào Cai at a glance

Where is Lào Cai?

• The largest city in Lao Cai on this site.
• Located in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 10 h 45 min on the shortest day to 13 h 31 min on the longest day (around 21 December and 21 June).

Cities near Lào Cai

• Hekou — 7 km northeast, China
• Lai Châu — 54 km west
• Mabai — 77 km northeast, China
• Wenshan City — 102 km north, China
• Kaihua — 103 km north, China
• Hà Giang — 111 km east
• Nghĩa Lộ — 113 km southeast
• Thị Trấn Thuận Châu — 120 km south
• Gejiu — 128 km northwest, China
• Yên Bái — 129 km southeast

Largest cities in Lao Cai

• Yên Bái — 100,631
• Nghĩa Lộ — 68,206

Largest cities in Vietnam

• Ho Chi Minh City — 14,002,598
• Hanoi — 8,053,663
• Haiphong — 2,625,200
• Cần Thơ — 1,507,187
• Huế — 1,380,000
• Da Nang — 1,276,000
• Biên Hòa — 1,272,235
• Thanh Hóa — 850,000
• Vinh — 790,000
• Thuận An — 588,616

Map of Vietnam and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.